Mantra
by 1Past and Present1
Summary: A soft moment of togetherness is shared between two familiars.


**Mantra**

Just some pointless fluff I typed up and felt like sharing with you. It's nothing awesome. Just innocent and cosy. Note that this takes place some years after _Tamers_ and is only distantly related, so I'll be playing on character development and creative license. I hope I did a respectable job.

Review if you'd like, I do love to hear from readers.

Bless you and enjoy.

* * *

"It's funny. Things have gotten so quiet since our last adventure."

"Indeed."

"It feels weird not to have some random hazard threatening the world. Or even something minor, like a loose Tyrannomon flattening the city which needs our intervention. We're not heroes anymore, just… people."

"I like it this way. We get to spend time doing things less stressful and taxing. Not quite so much life endangerment involved. It's a pleasant change of pace."

I smirk, replying slyly, "I thought you relished the excitement."

"I do." Her voice is subdued. Calm. And peaceful. "But this, being together and not doing anything in particular, is nicer."

I briefly study my companion, then turn back to the diving sun. "Yeah. The heroism gets a bit much sometimes. But I still think of this as a vacation."

"Always expect something chaotic to happen."

"That's right."

We're quiet for some minutes.

"It's a lovely evening," Renamon notes softly, her smooth, deep murmur tenderly soothing in the warm glow of dimming summer sunlight.

I nod in turn, not ruining the moment by talking. I carefully pull my earphones out my pocket, putting them in one at a time, but I don't activate my music player just yet.

"Rika?"

I look up at her, noticing how she has turned to peer down at me, noticing my actions and intrigued by them. "Going to listen to some tunes," I explain simply. Noting that this might be deemed rude and antisocial, I add sincerely, "Is that fine with you? You can keep talking."

"Certainly, but…" She falters, taking a breath and holding it. She's hesitating for some reason.

I tilt my head slightly to one side. "Hmm?"

My Digimon quietly pads her way over to me, abandoning her place near the swings to join me beside the slide, all while eyeing my earphones curiously. "Those."

"These?" I ask, pretending to be dumb. I'm pulling her tail, so to speak.

"Yes. Those." Her tone is teasing. "This is getting repetitive."

"Earphones. They let me listen to music without bothering anybody. Private, you know? "I smirk and pull one out, offering it to her. "Try it."

She crinkles her nose, appearing deep in thought.

"It's okay, I don't listen to my music loud. I promise not to make you deaf. Go on."

"Hmm." That's all she says, her cool blue gaze intense. A brow rises.

I look from my earphones to my partner and back again, growing increasingly concerned. "What's wrong?"

Finally she extends a large white paw, laying it over my offered hand, the fur soft and warm. She gently takes the earphone out my hand, looping the connecting cord safely around her talons. Next she reaches out to my other ear with her second paw, pulling that earphone out as well and bringing them both together, grasping them as a pair.

"Renamon?" I smile at her obvious curiosity. "What are you up to?"

She lowers her head to study them closely, sniffing them, giving an experimental tug. "They're so tiny," she says quietly, mostly to herself it seems. "You could swallow them. And they look highly uncomfortable."

"Uh-huh. Just try it." I roll my eyes and gently take her wrists in my fingers, guiding her paws, helping her to position the earphones in vaguely the appropriate area. Then I pull out the player connected to them, shuffling through my music collection and stopping on a song I like. "Ready? It'll sound sort of like it's in your head. It's cool, if the music's any good."

She blinks. "I suppose so." She reminds me of my grandmother when I first introduced her to modern teenage technology. "And this isn't harmful at all? My hearing is sensitive."

"If it's too loud, just let me know and I'll adjust the volume, okay?"

She nods in understanding. "All right."

I hit play and can dimly hear a guitar riff from the tiny speakers.

"Oh!" She jolts with surprise, her entire body stiffening. A betrayed glare is sent my way. "That is very loud."

"Sorry. Mom's fault." I giggle and quickly turn the volume down a few paces. "I let her borrow it for her jog. So…" I wait a bit, trying to divulge her reaction before continuing. "What do you think?"

My Digimon listens closely, her gaze indiscernible. It's like she's in such intense concentration just to formulate an opinion. Slowly, though, her eyes close, followed by an eventual sense of relaxation and the vixen begins to bob her head up and down, much to my amusement. "It's very pleasant. I like this."

"Yeah?" I grin up at her, quite impressed with myself. "I thought we'd have similar tastes."

The vocals begin and her eyes flutter open again, meeting mine with apparent surprise. "The man singing sounds very upset."

"It's my, uhh, moody music."

"You have music for your specific temperament at any given time?"

"Yeah. Sorta like that."

"That's very interesting, Rika."

I playfully lay a hand over her head, messing her fur beneath my fiercely rubbing palm. "Everything about me is interesting, foxy."

"That's true." She continues to move her head to the beat, catching on quite easily. It's impressive, really, how with just a simple bob of her head she can capture the essence of the song. "Do you have anything milder?" she asks after a while.

"Lemme check." I shuffle and find something soppy and romantic. "Whoo, boy. You sure?"

"Certainly. Let's try it."

"Well, you asked."

She waits patiently for my cue, her facial expressions changing subtly when I switch songs. They soften. Gradually, faintly, she smiles. "This is lovely."

"I like it."

"It doesn't seem terribly like you. This must be reserved for a very specific mood."

I blush, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly under her somewhat playful scrutiny. "Not everything I listen to is hardcore. Sometimes the mood calls for a love song, I guess."

"And what mood would that normally be?"

"I, err…"

She lets her smile grow to uncharacteristic widths. She's just overstepped one of her boundaries; looking too happy. "Are you embarrassed?"

"Stop it or I'm taking the headphones away." I huff, but it's half-hearted.

"But it's cute."

"I am not cute!"

"Why not?"

"I'm too badass to be cute. That's like someone calling you fluffy."

"Technically I am fluffy."

"I dunno…"

"But I am fluffy," she insists, which is especially amusing, since her tone is deadpan.

"I don't agree with you."

"I am," she assures me with a soft nudge in my direction, pushing her cold black nose under my chin and against my vulnerable throat. It's an affectionate gesture, and completely unexpected. "I think that much is obvious, Rika."

"Fine! You are. Very fluffy. That's terrific for you." I dodge having her icy nose rubbed so intimately against a sensitive expanse of skin, pleasant and unpleasant at the same time, but my movement is too much and involuntarily the headphones are disconnected with the tug. I jump as amorous music now blares aloud from the device in my hand, somewhat muffled trough my panicked, gripping fingers but clear enough to be alarming, and later, embarrassing. "Wha-!"

My Digimon stands before me, stooped over yet still so large and graceful, the headphones hanging limp from her paws and an amused expression alighting her sharp, angular features. She doesn't even seem surprised, which is funny, because I sure am.

"Oh, stop looking at me so judgementally." I quickly shove the player in my pocket, not caring to turn off the song.

"I'm looking at you with purely warm intentions, I assure you." She chuckles at my slight lack of composure.

I fold my arms defensively. "So what now?"

"What do you think should happen?" Her tail swipes the air good-naturedly. "What is the mood? What does it call for?"

I can't withhold a smile from her. "Do you know how to dance?"

"I can learn. If you have the courage to teach me."

"Great. Give those back and let's do this." Headphones safely in my pocket, her paws secure in my hands, I guide her into a slow sway. "Step back three paces. Good. Now we'll move to the left. Wait, other left."

"You mean to say right?"

"Yes, you infernal creature. Now three steps forward. Very good. And that's sort of a dance, one I'm making up as we speak…"

She releases a hand and places her paw on my shoulder, pulling me closer to herself and suddenly turning in a circle with me as the axis, the sole focus of her eyes and still lingering smile.

"I thought you didn't know how to dance and I was being the teacher here," I note sardonically. "Yet you're clearly showing me up."

"I'm making things up as we go along, also. Improvising."

"Improvising is good."

She's careful where she places her big paws, treading the earth softly, following my shoes without actually watching them, which is admittedly impressive. "I remember seeing something on the television which interested me. It had two people dancing much like we are, only, a little more eloquently. And they appeared less bizarre, I'm sure."

I give in to temptation and affection to lay my head on her chest. Let my eyes close for a moment. Open them again, sighing with content. "I'm sure, Renamon. By the way, the song's over."

"Yes, and another one is playing. The man is talking about tapping something, but I'm not sure what."

"Drums. He's talking about tapping drums."

She leans in to whisper in my ear, "I get the distinct feeling you're patronising me."

I gasp when she's suddenly gone, catching me from behind as I stumble and righting me easily. Her paw brushes my pocket. When I turn, alerted to the sound of button pressing and the sudden fast forwarding of the current song, it's to find my suddenly obnoxious Digimon fiddling with my music player. "Excuse me, we were dancing and I didn't dismiss you."

She simply skips aside when I approach her, then dodges me narrowly again, easily sidestepping my swing. She drops onto all fours, a battle stance, my music player held neatly in her mouth. It's really warped the song.

"Hey! No fair!" I lunge for her and she streaks away, a blur for me to pointlessly chase, calling expletives in her wake.

She leaps into a tree, reclining comfortably over a branch and letting her tail dangle. Chin propped on folded arms, music player gripped in a strong, stern paw, she is the image of mischief for a change.

"Is this a repeat of the toasted sandwich incident?" Hands on my hips I settle beneath her, panting for breath. "Our years together have made you bold, Renamon."

"You did say, as I recall with some certainty, that you wished I'd act less rigidly. And the difference here is I will not eat your device."

"You'd better not. I'm not paying your vet bills."

"Oh, that was low."

I free a hand and grasp at her tail, giving it a slight tug. "I play dirty."

"You certainly do. Problem is, I know your tricks." She slips it out my grasp smoothly and bats me across the face with it, pulling the appendage out of any retaliatory range while I wipe my thoroughly tickled nose and try not to sneeze. "And I have a few of my own."

"Atchoo!" I fail.

"Bless you, Rika."

"Right, that's it. Move aside. I'm coming up there." I wipe my nose one final time on my arm and steel myself, hoisting my body up by a low branch, steadily climbing upward at a somewhat less awesome pace than she had so easily managed.

She's shifted by the time I reach her branch, her long legs dangling, tail wrapped neatly around her midsection and the player held out to me. Her eyes twinkle.

"Keep it." I shuffle alongside her and let my legs hang too. "For now, at least. But change it to something else. And in normal speed, please."

"It sounds somewhat amusing."

"Please."

"All right then, grouchy."

We both try to keep straight faces, but I laugh and she chuckles and together, we're two idiots amused in a tree.

It's a lovely evening indeed.

* * *

I am listening to dubstep at the moment, if anybody is interested. Still getting used to it…


End file.
